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More birds of Antigua.
Apr. 21st, 2009 09:49 pm
It seems odd to see this bird not in a man made habitat. The Lesser Antillean Bullfinch is familiar on the island for getting into restaurant and hotel spaces (which are typically open air) and helping itself to crumbs and sugar packets.
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365 Urban Species. #105: Bananaquit
Apr. 24th, 2006 08:27 pm
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cottonmanifesto)Urban species #105: Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
Two birdsongs greeted us each morning in Antigua. The low moaning coo of the local doves (close relatives of mourning doves) was musical, almost soothing. The scattered scrabbly chatter of the bananaquit was anything but. The bananaquits seemed to be in a constant state of shrill squabbling with the bullfinches, the hummingbirds, and one another. All the fuss was over resources, specifically the flowering trees in the yard.
Bananaquits feed mainly on nectar, but will take insects as well. Because they are built more like nuthatches than hummingbirds, they cling rather than hover, and they often take nectar from the sides of flowers--therefore not providing the service of pollination. They are very tolerant of the presence of humans, and have been known to fly to breakfast tables to steal bits of sugar and ripe fruit. They will visit hummingbird feeders, if the feeder is built with perching space. The Bananaquit is found throughout the West Indies, South and Central America, and southern Mexico. It is the national bird of Puerto Rico.
( two photos by me )
